Free Republic

Showing just how important a strong Democratic showing in Broward County is to Charlie Crist’s hope of returning to the Governor’s Mansion, the first field office for his campaign is set for Planation. The campaign plans to dedicate the office next week. What’s being described as the South Florida headquarters will be located at 320 South University Drive, Plantation. The grand opening is at 5 p.m. Tuesday. The only other Crist office so far is the state headquarters in St. Petersburg. Broward, which has more registered Democrats than any other Florida county is critical for the party’s hopes to win...

Charlie Crist, the Republican-turned-Democrat running to reclaim the governorship of Florida, said that he doesn’t think the Affordable Care Act has “irreparably harmed” Floridians, and, in fact, “I think it’s been great.” Crist called health care a “civil right,” saying, “People need to have shelter, they need food, they need water, they need health care, and they deserve it.” When CNN’s Candy Crowley asked him about those who have undoubtedly lost their health care because of Obamacare, Crist said that’s “exactly why we have the Affordable Care Act. Exactly why is to make sure that they don’t lose it in...

Former Republican Florida Governor and now Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Charlie Crist, didn't simply grovel and beg to be seen as a bone fide Democrat today on CNN's "State of the Union" with Candy Crowley, he all but swore a blood oath to Barack Obama as his new lord and savior. In Crist's words, Obama is "a smart guy whose doing the right thing" with ObamaCare. The former republican even goes so far as to suggest other Democrats need to buck up and support an increasing,ly unpopular Obama.

Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (D) said Sunday that President Obama’s controversial healthcare law has been “great” for residents of his state. Crist has sharply criticized the healthcare law in the past. But the former Republican governor and 2008 GOP vice-presidential short-lister is running for his old post this year as a Democrat this year. Crist said during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” that he would have no problem running on the healthcare bill, which is known colloquially as ObamaCare, as he seeks to regain his former office. “I don’t think so at all,” Crist said when...

Charlie Crist, a former Republican governor of Florida (now running for the position as a Democrat), was asked on “The Colbert Report” about his 2009 hug with President Barack Obama and Crist said the blowback he received for the hug was due to Obama being “not just a Democrat, [but] an African-American.” Crist appeared on Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report” to discuss his book, “The Party’s Over.” As the summary on Comedy Central states, Crist was there to explain “how the rise of the Tea Party drove him to become a Democrat.” …

WEST PALM BEACH — Wooing politicians like Gov. Charlie Crist and U.S. Sen. John McCain was a key to the success of his $1.4 billion Ponzi scheme, convicted fraudster Scott Rothstein testified Wednesday in federal court.In a wide-ranging discussion of how he built the scheme and how it imploded in October 2009 that came during his testimony in the trial of lawyer Christina Kitterman, Rothstein was both confident and contrite.

TheBlaze Blog got around to reading some of Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist‘s memoir, co-written by his lookalike Ellis Henican, and it can mostly be summed up as 340 pages of why Crist renounced the Republican Party and should now be elected as the next Democratic governor of the Sunshine State. The book recounts the cute moment Crist told Obama adviser Valerie Jarett he was going to register as a Democrat (he was formerly a Republican-turned independent) during a White House tour. And the first line of the final chapter begins, “I am convinced of it: The Democratic Party is...

TAMPA -- Some Florida Republicans fear, and some Democrats hope, that a November referendum on legalizing medical marijuana in Florida will drive young and liberal voters to the polls, helping Democratic candidates including gubernatorial challenger Charlie Crist. The initiative, still not certified for the November ballot, is generating charges of political motives from both sides. Some Republicans call it an expensive ploy by Crist's backers to help him win. "It is no coincidence that Charlie Crist's law partner and biggest supporter, John Morgan, is financing medical marijuana," said Gainesville-based GOP consultant Alex Patton. "It's a plan." Some Democrats, meanwhile, say...

In early 2009, President Obama arrived in Florida to tout his stimulus plan. But it was a hug that stole the show.Then-Republican Gov. Charlie Crist's embrace of the president became a kiss of death for his Senate bid. Nearly five years later, Crist is hugging Obama again — in a different way. Now a Democrat running for his old job, Crist has assembled a campaign roster chock full of former Obama hands. His apparent wager: 1) Some of Obama's success in the the perennial swing state (he won it twice) can be replicated this fall and 2) Advertising a team...

Republican-turned-Independent-turned-Democrat Charlie Crist will be the Democratic speaker at Washington's famed Gridiron dinner. He will face off against Republican Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas) at the March event. Gridiron president Clark Hoyt of Bloomberg announced the selection in an email to members on Tuesday. "I'm delighted to announce that former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist will be the Democratic speaker at the 2014 Gridiron Spring Dinner on Saturday, March 8. Crist will square off against Texas Sen. Ted Cruz representing the Republicans," Hoyt wrote in an email obtained by The Hill. Crist, the former Republican governor of Florida, is running for his...

Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist recently issued an apology for backing the state's constitutional ban on same-sex marriage in 2008. Crist said in a recent interview with the Orlando-based LGBT publication Watermark Online that he regrets backing Florida's constitutional Amendment 2, which was approved by nearly 62 percent of voters in 2008 and defines marriage as being exclusively for one man and one woman. "I'm sorry I did that. It was a mistake. I was wrong. Please forgive me," Crist told the publication. "I made a mistake. I'm not perfect … That's the journey I'm on … and I'm still...

A new Quinnipiac poll of Florida finds a majority of voters in the state view President Obama as untrustworthy. Just 44% believe Obama is honest. This view is a major factor in the collapse of Obama's approval rating in the state, where just 40% of voters approve of the job he is doing. This poll drop isn't just confined to Obama, however. The poll found a significant trend towards Republicans and steep drops in approval ratings for Democrats up and down the ballot. Former Gov. Charlie Crist, who is seeking the Democrat nomination for Governor next year, saw his favorable...

Charlie Crist could be playing for high stakes beyond Tallahassee come 2014 as he could end up on Hillary Clinton’s short list in 2016. Back when he was a Republican, Crist looked to play at the national level. Long before he was governor, Crist was running for the U.S. Senate against Bob Graham. Instead of running for a second term as governor, which would have been a slam dunk, Crist once again looked to move to the Senate. Back in 2008, after helping deliver the Florida primary to John McCain, Crist looked to join the Republican ticket as his running...

Former Republican-turned-Independent-turned Democrat Charlie Crist, interviewed with MSNBC’s Ed Schultz this week and stated that he would raise taxes, if he was elected Governor of Florida in 2014. Here is the exchange between Ed Schultz and the one-time “I am pro-life, I’m pro-gun, I’m pro-family and I’m anti-tax” Charlie Crist. Schultz: What do you think about Florida’s finances, and what do you expect out of the wealthiest residents? Crist: I think we both have to expect more of each other. I don’t like to raise taxes. I don’t think that anyone really enjoys the idea of doing that, I did...

Former Republican governor turned Democrat Charlie Crist filed paperwork Friday to run for his old job with his new party, a move that will turn the race into one of the most watched in the nation. Crist is now the front-runner to represent Democrats against Republican Gov. Rick Scott, one of the most unpopular chief executives in the country. Scott, though, will be well-financed and is expected to spend as much as $25 million in attack ads against Crist. For Crist, he is hoping to revive a political career that seemingly crashed when he left the GOP and lost an...

Watch out, Charlie Crist. Beverly Young has sent a letter to the former Florida governor telling him not to attend Thursday’s funeral service for her late husband, GOP Rep. Bill Young, according to the Tampa Bay Times. According to the paper, Young’s widow wrote in the message: “This e-mail is to officially advise you that your presence at my husband’s memorial services will be unacceptable. I have watched over the years, as Bill had, your transparent attempts to manipulate the political arena. I don’t want my husband’s memorial service to be another opportunity for that and I will not tolerate...

Rep. Bill Young’s (R-Fla.) widow asked former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist to not attend her husband’s funeral. Beverly Young made her request in an email sent Monday to Crist — a Republican turned independent turned Democrat — who is considering another run for office. The email was obtained by the Tampa Bay Times. “This e-mail is to officially advise you that your presence at my husband's memorial services will be unacceptable,” she said in the email. “I have watched over the years, as Bill had, your transparent attempts to manipulate the political arena. I don't want my husband's memorial service...

Charlie Crist, the former Florida governor who switched from the Republican Party to Democrat, is working on a book that strongly criticizes the GOP’s conservative policies. Dutton, an imprint of Penguin Random House, announced Wednesday it had acquired Crist’s “The Party’s Over: How the Extreme Right Hijacked the GOP and I became a Democrat.” The book is scheduled to be published in early 2014. …

Gov. Rick Scott is more popular, according to a new poll by Quinnipiac University, but 50 percent of voters say he doesn’t deserve to be re-elected and that he would lose handily to former Gov. Charlie Crist if the 2014 election were today. Scott’s standing with the public has been so persistently grim that any improvement looks like a breakthrough. His approval rating cracked 40 percent for the first time in the latest poll — 43 percent of voters approve of his handling of his job, 44 percent disapprove.

Two Republicans came to Washington as United States Senators. Both were immediately haled as being the future of the Party. Both were young, charismatic and claimed they were devoted to the conservative cause. Both have been talked about as potential Presidential candidates. The problem is, only one of them is a conservative. One is Ted Cruz and the other is Marco Rubio. Ted Cruz burst on to the scene last year in Texas, defeating a RINO Establishment candidate. He has quickly become a superstar. He has stood steadfastly against Amnesty. Yesterday, after the Supreme Court ruled that states could not...